Michael Wood –
It was an incredible honour to be elected as Mt Roskill’s new Member of Parliament on Saturday (December 3, 2016) night.
I would like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who supported and voted for me during the by-election.
The result was very strong. I received 67% of the vote, and won 21 out of 22 polling places, with support coming in from all parts of the community.
I especially acknowledge the support and wise counsel I received from the Indian community.
Emulating the leader
I am acutely aware of the very big shoes into which I am stepping.
Phil Goff (now Auckland Mayor) is a friend and mentor, and he has been an outstanding MP for Mt Roskill over many years. Every day, I come across people in Mt Roskill who have been helped by him.
While I will not be the same as Phil, my goal as an MP is to be just as effective and accessible to people in the community.
Very quickly I have learned that the role has many pressures and that the time commitment required is huge.
Nonetheless I will dedicate as much time as I can to connecting with our community at the grassroots level, and I invite readers to contact my office if there are local events that you would like me to attend.
Greeting John Key
On Monday after the by-election I went to Wellington to begin learning my new role, and to meet my new colleagues. Everyone has been generous and supportive and I am beginning to understand the unique way that Parliament works.
The day I arrived was also the day that John Key resigned as Prime Minister, so my time in the limelight was a little limited! While I hold different views on many issues from Mr Key, I acknowledge his many years of public service and wish him well for his future endeavours.
As the National party now debates who its new leadership should be, I feel positive that the Labour Party under Andrew Little is united, focused, and ready to change the government in 2017.
I am not a person who believes that everything that National does is wrong.
I also believe that there are many good people on the other side of politics.
However, I increasingly feel that after eight years in government they have lost touch with the people and are not focussed on the issues affecting our community.
In the Mt Roskill by-election we focused relentlessly on the issues that make a difference in people’s lives – the need for decent affordable housing, taking action on rising crime, and showing vision and leadership to fix our traffic problems.
Labour has a positive plan on all these issues and I look forward to campaigning on them again (after a good summer holiday!)
Once again, can I thank everyone in Mt Roskill for the support you have shown me. I will work every day to serve you as your new local MP.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!
Michael can be contacted on (09) 6242278; Email: michael.wood@parliament.govt.nz
Photo :
Michael Wood with his wife Julie Fairey after winning the Mt Roskill by-election on December 3
